The structure of "Even if China and America stop short of conflict, blabla......"
What is the structure of "stop short of conflict"?
Is it "stop + short of conflict" or "stop short + of conflict"?
Solution 1:
In this case, "short" is an adverb, modifying the verb "stop" (and stop short is itself an idiom), while "of conflict" is an adverbial prepositional phrase modifying "short."